Brighton and Hove Albion chairman and owner Tony Bloom is currently working behind the scenes to secure manager Roberto De Zerbi’s long-term future on the South Coast. It is proving a tricky courtship with De Zerbi yet to commit the next few years of his career to Brighton despite the club indicating that they would like the Italian to stay in charge.
Encouragingly, De Zerbi has also said that he isn’t in a hurry to leave the Amex Stadium. However, the longer this impasse - that maybe even be too strong a word - goes on, the more suspicions will grow about De Zerbi waiting to see if he is awarded one of the vacancies for the biggest clubs in Europe.
There are a host of jobs about to become available in the summer with Barcelona, Liverpool, Bayern Munich and perhaps even Manchester United all looking to make new managerial appointments.
De Zerbi has many suitors in England as well as on the continent and is unquestionably, having his name bandied about in the boardrooms of the world’s biggest clubs.
The 44-year-old is undoubtedly alive to this which makes the next few months increasingly interesting. Does he stick or does he twist?
Observers outside of Brighton might think that it is a relatively easy decision if the chance to manage one of the great institutions of European football comes along. That, however, would be discarding the fact that the Seagulls boast some of the healthiest accounts in Europe.
Over the last year alone, Brighton boasted the biggest profit by an English club after making £123 million over the course of the 2022/2023 season. Incredibly, this figure does not include the sale of Moises Caicedo to Chelsea for £115 million which will be included in the next set of accounts. In short, this trend of making the biggest profit in English football is unlikely to stop soon.
Essentially, what this means for De Zerbi is that Brighton are under no pressure to sell their key assets to align with Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules. On the contrary, the club have indicated that they will invest heavily in the summer to add to what is already a competitive side - very few clubs in the country can do this as the FFP net tightens on offenders.
Of course, De Zerbi might have already laid down a summer recruitment ultimatum to Bloom to keep him, but the fact is that he is a few weeks away from being the beneficiary of Brighton’s unprecedented financial position.
What’s more, is that it shouldn't be lost on De Zerbi that owner Bloom is renowned for calculated gambles on success. This is, after all, a man who once said: “I believe in betting aggressively and, occasionally, to win big, you have to risk losing.”
These are words that Bloom lives by up having won millions in poker tournaments. You might have read that sentence twice and feel compelled to ask if a Premier League owner is really a regular on the world’s poker circuit. The answer is yes, Bloom has made a career out of the game that most people play for fun at one of the best online casinos in the UK.
Along with a love for poker, the Brighton owner runs one of the most successful betting agencies in the world.
The wider point is that when Bloom sees an opening, he isn’t afraid to stake the proverbial house on it. That opening for De Zerbi and Brighton could be in the summer of 2024 when the club ushers in a new dawn.
You could even say that De Zerbi has come too far to walk away when the powers that be are about to reward him with the war chest he has been desperate for.
With cost-cutting measures happening across the Premier League, De Zerbi now has the opportunity to take advantage of the climate of austerity and take the Seagulls to the rarefied atmosphere of the Premier League.
Encouragingly, De Zerbi has also said that he isn’t in a hurry to leave the Amex Stadium. However, the longer this impasse - that maybe even be too strong a word - goes on, the more suspicions will grow about De Zerbi waiting to see if he is awarded one of the vacancies for the biggest clubs in Europe.
There are a host of jobs about to become available in the summer with Barcelona, Liverpool, Bayern Munich and perhaps even Manchester United all looking to make new managerial appointments.
De Zerbi has many suitors in England as well as on the continent and is unquestionably, having his name bandied about in the boardrooms of the world’s biggest clubs.
The 44-year-old is undoubtedly alive to this which makes the next few months increasingly interesting. Does he stick or does he twist?
Brighton's unparalleled position of financial strength
Observers outside of Brighton might think that it is a relatively easy decision if the chance to manage one of the great institutions of European football comes along. That, however, would be discarding the fact that the Seagulls boast some of the healthiest accounts in Europe.
Over the last year alone, Brighton boasted the biggest profit by an English club after making £123 million over the course of the 2022/2023 season. Incredibly, this figure does not include the sale of Moises Caicedo to Chelsea for £115 million which will be included in the next set of accounts. In short, this trend of making the biggest profit in English football is unlikely to stop soon.
Essentially, what this means for De Zerbi is that Brighton are under no pressure to sell their key assets to align with Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules. On the contrary, the club have indicated that they will invest heavily in the summer to add to what is already a competitive side - very few clubs in the country can do this as the FFP net tightens on offenders.
Of course, De Zerbi might have already laid down a summer recruitment ultimatum to Bloom to keep him, but the fact is that he is a few weeks away from being the beneficiary of Brighton’s unprecedented financial position.
What’s more, is that it shouldn't be lost on De Zerbi that owner Bloom is renowned for calculated gambles on success. This is, after all, a man who once said: “I believe in betting aggressively and, occasionally, to win big, you have to risk losing.”
Bloom ready to bet on De Zerbi's Brighton
These are words that Bloom lives by up having won millions in poker tournaments. You might have read that sentence twice and feel compelled to ask if a Premier League owner is really a regular on the world’s poker circuit. The answer is yes, Bloom has made a career out of the game that most people play for fun at one of the best online casinos in the UK.
Along with a love for poker, the Brighton owner runs one of the most successful betting agencies in the world.
The wider point is that when Bloom sees an opening, he isn’t afraid to stake the proverbial house on it. That opening for De Zerbi and Brighton could be in the summer of 2024 when the club ushers in a new dawn.
Don't look back in anger
You could even say that De Zerbi has come too far to walk away when the powers that be are about to reward him with the war chest he has been desperate for.
With cost-cutting measures happening across the Premier League, De Zerbi now has the opportunity to take advantage of the climate of austerity and take the Seagulls to the rarefied atmosphere of the Premier League.